The Pacific Part 7
Dagny Westall
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Amazing. I'm still recovering. I knew that Ack Ack was going to be hit but I was still a hot mess anyway. I wasn't sure sure of course how/if they were going to show it--I love that he was hit off screen. Very Greek theatre. :-)
I liked the episode and thought the two main battle scenes were very well done and completely supsenseful. But that montage at the beginning bothered me - it seemed like something out of a cheesy made-for-TV movie. And the bit of Sledge ticking off the days didn't ring true - maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but it seemed like he'd add several tick marks at once, instead of one a day, which is the actual way I'd imagine it being done.
Interesting that you mention "Bastogne," Alan. This ep. made me think of "Breaking Point". During the scene with the mortar squad heading into the heat of the battle, the gunfire seemed to be inescapable, as did the artillery shelling of "Breaking Point". And with several key characters getting killed or wounded (Chuckler, Hillbilly, Leyden, Haldane), that reminded me of Muck, Penkala, Toye and Guarnere going down.
On the other hand, the scene of the 1st marines returning from the hills as the 5th marines went in reminded me of the end of "Crossroads", as the 101st headed into Bastogne. I liked the little displays of camaraderie between the two divisions in that scene.
Also, Alan, I really do appreciate you're keeping the discussions here spoiler free. I had no idea Haldane and Hillbilly would get killed.
And finally, I was impressed by Joseph Mazello's real tears.
There were several early episodes in The Pacific that seemed canned, poorly constructed, and somewhat out of place to me.
The three episode series on the island of Peleliu are not those earlier unsatisfying episodes.
Stack this trio up against any in The Band of Brothers saga and it's a very even fight. Just an incredible series of heart string tugs tonight and if the battle on Okinawa can live up to these I'll have completely changed my tune on the series. Outstanding episode.
I echo @rando eastman's sentiments. I have had a terribly difficult time getting into this series. I had zero connection with any of the characters. A problem that I didn't have with Band of Brothers. Sledge (and to some extent Snafu) are characters that the show has actually allowed me to connect with. The last two or three episodes have been barely redeeming for an otherwise disappointing series that I had extremely high expectations for.
I wasn't sure what to think about the blanket being placed over the dead body of Ack Ack -- you know, the green blanket his father may have had something to do with. Too much? Since this episode and the last one sucked me into the series, I'm going with it. Well played, Mr. Van Patten. He's come a long way since playing Salami on The White Shadow.
So far, this is the episode that earns the series its inevitable Emmy. I was very affected by it. I couldn't find a misstep anywhere. It is tragically and horrifyingly beautiful.
I feel that anyone who didn't connect with this episode is either incapable of appreciating quality or trying very hard to not like it.
Granted, I had not felt very connected to the men until this episode. I think the problem for "The Pacific" is that, unlike "Band of Brothers," it did not give us time to get to know most of the men before we saw them turned into killing machines.
I have never cried in a war film before. Well, "Force Ten From Navarone" has its moments-but, no really, Joseph Mazzello's POV in the bunker scene had me weeping.
I agree with the ambiguity of the scene, but I choose to believe Snafu was saving Sledgehammer from a fate that was not his.
Having recently read Sledge's book, I was certain they were going to emphasize Ack Ack's death as Sledge claimed that was the worst moment of his war.
But I was a little surprised that the Sledge-Haney boat encounter near the end didn't feature a conversation that Sledge noted in his book. I don't recall if it was with Haney or a un-named vet, but Sledge writes that he asked a veteran for his opinion on what they had just been through and the Vet, who had experienced multiple campaigns, admitted Peleliu was the worst of the worst.
I also think Episode 7 did an excellent job covering the Marines' exhaustion and more importantly, their "eyes," particularly when the 1st Marines were being relieved. Sledge goes into great detail about how Marines came off that island with weary and blank stares. And Sledge's father makes similar mention of that early in the series. I thought Ep 7 paid great attention to that detail and some of that imagery will be what I take away from the series.
I guess every media-consuming generation has to have it's "war is hell" moment, and this episode sealed that truth for my 13 year-old son watching with me. The bloody opening film clips of real casualties combined with the relentless imagery of death,fear, collapse and those vacant eyes cancelled whatever appeal for combat that Xbox or PS3 shooter games may engender. "I'm never ever going to volunteer for war," my son solemnly vowed. And for that alone, I praise, "The Pacific."
a horrifying image that's not going to leave my brain anytime soon
It was a disgusting image, but gone from my mind pretty quickly (probably because I watch too many horror films). I was also more worried about Sledge becoming like Snafu and was grateful Snafu stopped him. Seeing Sledge take the teeth would have been more horrifying to me.
Snafu is a great, great character. Once again we see inaccuracies though: Stretcher bearers being called in under a field of fire? Even my wife (who knows nothing about combat) correctly pointed out that would never happen because even the dumbest officer wouldn't send four defenseless men into heavy fire to drag out one injured man.
This was a great episode. There were a number of nits I found annoying. As someone up the chain said, the blanket business was a bit too on the nose. Ack-Ack's death sequence was far too quick. From the order to halt to the shots and yell of "corpsman" to death announcement, only a few seconds passed, and this made the whole sequence seem too stagey. Reuse of another iconic moment from "Saving Private Ryan": "let the bastards burn!" And it looked to me like they used the same set (rocky hills surrounding a depressed area with the US troops on an overlook opposing several bunkers) for several different battles. With an episode this good, though, I'm willing for forgive all of this.
One more substantive question. It has been a while since I read the book. Did Sledge and his team really give up their mortar during the battle? I don't remember that happening, and I'd be surprised if a commander would voluntarily give up mortar support. I wasn't sure if this was a dramatic device or actually occurred.
Again, great episode. The last three or four weeks have really shown what this show is capable of. It's a shame the series got off to such a clumsy start.
Once again we see inaccuracies though: Stretcher bearers being called in under a field of fire?
Talk about being misinformed. That's EXACTLY what happened. In fact the Japanese deliberately targeted the stretcher-bearers knowing that for every one they killed or put down, another would have to take his place.
This series is still not doing it for me. I was mostly bored by this ep. Apart from the gritty battle scenes, it moved at a snail's pace. Everyone sitting around moping, looking forlornly into the distance for most of the time. I get it, war is hell, but this is not a documentary, it's entertainment. There should be am overarching narrative that engages you all the way through.
If it wasn't for the crutch of the opening narration of what they're trying to depict in the episode, you would never know what they're doing and what they're trying to achieve. People complain about Hank's preamble, but it's absolutely needed as the way the stories are told falls far short of informing and engaging the audience.
I actually laughed out loud when Sledge realized what the "plunk plunk" sound was.
And the poor guy trying to take a dump in the cave was comedy gold.
I like this series, and actually had family in the first marines at Okinawa, but for me, it is nowhere close to the same league as Band of Brothers. I guess I am missing something. I just don't have the emotional investment this time around.
Also, it seems to skip around from island to island, but really doesn't give a sense of time passing. Maybe if I paid more attention to the dates it would make more sense.
Much better storyline on this episode. The focus on one main character makes for a more coherent and compelling narrative. I think number seven is the best of the lot so far.
It's more than a little annoying how short these episodes are. This episode started late, ended early and with all the intros, outros, last on, next on, etc, I think we got about 35 minutes of actual show.
And I'd would have liked to see more Sadler. After devoting an entire episode to Leckie's non-existent Greek romance, I think they could have stretched things a bit so we could see more Puller.